Native_Orchids_Yellowstone - Lake and Fishing Bridge

Lake and Fishing Bridge Area Orchids:

Calypso bulbosa (fairy slipper), Corallorhiza maculata (spotted coralroot), Platanthera dilatata (white bog orchids)

Elephantback Trail: Calypso bulbosa and Platanthera dilatata
Natural Bridge Trail and Bridge Bay Campground below loop G: Platanthera dilatata
Storm point trail: Corallorhiza maculata (spotted coral root)

Fairy Slipper Calypso bulbosa Elephantback trail, Lake area, Yellowstone, 6/12/15 2:20 PM MDT 50mm A macro Pentax lens ISO 400 UTM GPS: 12T 0547234 4934436

Fairy Slipper Colony Elephantback trail 6/12/15 2:22 PM MDT 50mm A macro Pentax lens ISO 400 UTM GPS: 12T 0547234 4934436

Striped Coral Root buds CFM_2686 Corallorhiza striata, Striped coral root, Narrow Gauge trail, Mammoth Yellowstone 5/30/15 1:03 PM MDT 4000 x 6016 f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 400 50mm A macro Pentax lens 15_0530YNP UTM GPS: 12T 0522878 4979768

_CFM1725 | Piperia unalascensis, Alaska rein orchid, Narrow Gauge trail, Mammoth | 6/27/14 1:27 PM MDT | f/5.6 1/160 ISO 800 | 100mm Pentax macro | 14_0627YNP GPS location not available

Piperia unalascensis blooming in balsamroot Narrow Gauge trail, Mammoth 7/06/15 9:35 AM MDT f/5.6 1/500 ISO 400 50mm A macro Pentax lens 15_0530YNP UTM GPS: 12 T 522817 4979519

Alaska rein orchid detail _CFM3930 Piperia unalascensis, Narrow Gauge trail, Mammoth, Yellowstone 7/6/15 9:22 AM MDT f/5.6 1/250 ISO 400 50mm A macro Pentax lens 15_0706YNP UTM GPS: 12T 522878 4979718

Alaska rein orchid _CFM3922 Piperia unalascensis, Narrow Gauge trail, Mammoth, Yellowstone 7/6/15 9:09 AM MDT f/5.6 1/125 ISO 400 50mm A macro Pentax lens 15_0706YNP UTM GPS: 12T 522877 4979696

Blooming: late June to July.

Sniff tests: Calypso bulbosa has a strong scent in the morning, Platanthera dilatata has a sweet scent most of the day, and Coral roots always seem odorless to me.

Native Orchids of Yellowstone National Park

When and where to find and photograph them Photos and text by Colleen F. Moore cfmoore72@gmail.com